I recently completed an analysis for TRAFFIC International to describe trends in the illegal ivory trade from 1996 – 2014. These results are being presented this week at the CITES Standing Committee as part of the document on “Elephant conservation, illegal killing and ivory trade” (in particular see Figures 5-9). Clearly, it is the results that are […]
Enhancing the Elephant Trade Information System
Objectives The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), monitors the illegal ivory trade. It is one of two global monitoring systems for elephants under CITES (Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species). ETIS is managed by TRAFFIC International and aims to: assess illicit trade in ivory and other elephant products, establish trends over time determine whether […]
Does an increase in the number of seizures of illegal goods tell us whether illicit trade is increasing or decreasing?
What can we learn about trends in trade of an illicit good from looking at how the number of seizures of an illegal good changes over time? Let us suppose we have the following information. Suppose the law enforcement agencies within a country report seizing 50 shipments of illegal goods* in time period A, 75 […]
